– Mexican Folk Saying

By Brenda Storch

Photo: Mezcalería Los Amantes

Undoubtedly well positioned within the minds and hearts of locals (and even not so locals), mezcal seemed to play, for a long time, second fiddle to tequila. Little by little, though, this artisanal drink (which literally means “smoked agave” in Náhuatl), has slowly made a name for itself. This is especially why we loved seeing it as protagonist at two memorable Mexican eateries. Many thanks to Chef José Bossuet, who has spent a few months consulting with the Los Amantes Group, for introducing us to these gems.

The namesake of the thoughtful, Oaxaca-born mezcal line, and the largest mezcalería in the world, Los Amantes (The Lovers) is located in one of Mexico City’s finest neighborhoods. Luckily, the zip code does not make this locale stuffy at all. What it does, however, is provide patrons with an elevated cantina experience, where food has been curated to make mezcal tasting a transformative journey.

We did not have a chance to try any of the other 200+ mezcal labels within this restaurant’s collection, as we focused on sampling the in-house pairings (Los Amantes has joven, añejo and reposado variations), which were especially designed to boost the delicacies in front of our eyes, along with a must try- pulque. It was a real treat to sample this millenary fermented beverage in such a setting, by the way. We highly recommend that you try the curados, which are concoctions made with pulque and fruit. Whether or not you enjoy them as much as I do, this should definitely be on any Mexico City visitor’s list.

The concept behind the menu is to highlight dishes from states that produce mezcal. The culinary team, led by chef José Alberto Gómez, proudly displays true mastery of harmonization, using elements such as ashes and remarkable smoky salsas to make mezcal stand out. Food here is simple, yet seductive. I fell in love with the twice-distilled reposado so hard, I brought home one of its handsome Huichol-inspired bottles.

You don’t need to leave Mexico City to sample the bright, complex and sophisticated cuisine of southeastern Mexico. The Yucatán peninsula is home to an extraordinary culinary tradition that is strongly committed to food preservation through a variety of techniques – pickling, brining, pit smoking, drying. During this trip, I was delighted to notice that Yucatán and even Chiapas, seem to be gaining traction as foodie destinations, proving that they can hold their own as an alternative to long-standing gastronomy havens such as Oaxaca or Puebla.

Throughout Mexico, over 500 years of fusion with different cultures have permeated local gastronomical expressions with a rich diversity of ingredients, colors, flavors, and textures. This happens in a surprisingly granular way, as ingredientes, cooking utensils and materials can vary greatly depending on geography, even within the same state.

The architecture and décor at Casona La Yucateca are a modern take on a henequen hacienda. To add a dimension to our out-of-state experience, the drinks- creative, well-balanced and inspired in Mayan mythology, you will certainly agree that La Casona Yucateca’s mixologist, Marco Antonio Fausto, is a remarkable culinary artist. Pace yourself with those cocktails, though- they are light to the palate, but they pack a punch!

The Kukulkán by Marco Antonio Fausto. I could drink this instead of water.

The restaurant has several areas, including a private room for meetings, and a terrace that seems more like an indoor garden.

We got settled in the private room, where we had the opportunity to sample an outstanding array of menu offerings ranging from the traditional sopa de lima (keffir lime soup) to salbutes, panuchos, kebbeh, and of course, the famous queso relleno (stuffed cheese) made with Edam cheese! Interestingly, this Danish product has become Yucatán’s favorite, and is quite ubiquitous in its gastronomy. While there are a few hypotheses attempting to explain how centuries ago, this cheese might have arrived at the more isolated Yucatán peninsula, most of them agree on one point- the aged dairy was certainly at an advantage, as it was able to survive the humid heat of the jungle.

Yucatán has adopted Danish Edam as its favorite, featured here in a spectacular queso relleno.

Kebbeh, taboule and other dishes show the Lebanese influence in the culinary expressions of the Mexican southeast.

Traditional turkey salbute with pickled vegetables. Turkey is a very popular meat in Yucatán’s modern gastronomy.

Tikin Xic fish leverages local ingredients and underlines the importance of pickling and marinades as preserving agents.

Chef Juan Reyes is in charge of a kitchen where know how and passion are mixed with ingredients sourced from Yucatán to ensure the authenticity of flavors. Food is made from scratch, including but not least importantly, the bread. Chef Efraín Gamboa’s craft discreetly enhances the meal and patiently awaits to take center stage at dessert.

Often used as evangelizing tools, celebrations in Mexico feature elements that are charged with symbolism. Take the piñata, for example, used as an allegory of sin (colorful and appealing on the outside, yet hollow and empty on the inside). Still today, during parties, people are blindfolded (a nod to faith being blind) when facing the piñata, which will yield fruits once fought and defeated.

The Rosca de Reyes (cake of kings) is no exception. Even as I type, kids who have been taught to expect the arrival of the three kings or magi, during Epiphany have already gone to bed with the hopes of finding gifts by their shoes when they awake. This festivity marks the culmination of the “12 Days of Christmas”.

Rosca de Reyes is shaped and decorated as if it were a crown. Inside, little figurines representing baby Jesus while in hiding from Herod can be found. Whomever discovers the figurine it their slice of rosca gets to share their good fortune- they will buy tamales for the group on February 2nd, to celebrate the presentation of Christ at the temple.

Without even knowing it, tradition is celebrated and perpetuated in a delicious slice that is typically enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate.

When trying to talk about pulque, it is only possible to scratch the surface. An ancient fermented drink made with nectar from 12-year old agave plants, this milky alcoholic substance has a soap opera-worthy history. Once a prominent sacred potion, and esteemed secular remedy to which aphrodisiac and extraordinary nutritious properties were attributed, pulque has also gone from being anything from the stigma of the demons of a caste, to the protagonist of the movement of Mexican independence.

500 years later, and after enduring both the rejection and nationalistic embrace of its own people, this drink continues to be a relevant part of Mexican life and popular folklore. In the early 1900s, more than one thousand pulquerías peppered the streets of Mexico City, with catchy, tongue-in-cheek names reflecting the innate humor of Defeño* social dynamics- “The Other Church”, “A Lady’s Belch”, “Better Here than There” (for an establishment across from a cemetery). Also, many of them are hosts to quite a collection of Mexican art.

Although today pulque is consumed primarily in rural areas where its complex drinking and serving etiquette lives on, there seems to be a movement of resurgence in Mexico City. Tasting tours are now also available.

Because the drink is fermented, selling it in cans is impractical, but may still be found. The best pulque is freshly fermented, and it is usually enjoyed by itself or mixed with fruits, in which case it is called curado. I have not stumbled upon pulque breweries in Chicago, but then again, I have not purposefully looked for them either yet, although I have read about people who brew their own for personal consumption. If you are outside of Mexico and know where to find pulque, here is chef Victoria del Ángel’s recipe to make your own coconut curado:

Curado de Coco

• 4 cups of fresh pulque• 1 cup of shredded coconut• 1 can of creme of coconut• Sugar to taste

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender slowly incorporating the pulque.

Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Serve.

*Defeños are citizens of Mexico City

Chef Victoria del Ángel discovered her passion for cooking at the age of three. Fascinated by Mexican cuisine, she obtained a degree in gastronomy by the Escuela Superior de Gastronomía in Mexico and a graduate degree by the Culinary Institute of Switzerland. Currently, Victoria is the owner of a chocolate boutique, Xocolat del Ángel, in Jilotepec, México.

The timing of this post is partly accidental, and partly intentional. I thought at first it might make sense to talk about the Lenten dishes that in an overwhelmingly Catholic Mexico, frame a series of events that culminate in Semana Santa or “Holy Week”: from the visits to the seven churches and the burning of big cardboard structures representing evil, called “Judas” (tradition which has permeated the culture to the point that the name Judas is synonymous with “traitor” when used as colloquial expression), to the reenactments of the crucifixion in the town of Iztapalapa. What I remember the most about this season, aside from its coinciding with a nice break from school, is that somehow, every aspect of the celebration ended at the table of the family matriarch…

Matriarch!

My great-grandma, Rachel “Rae” Storch would have turned 102 this month. She died 13 years ago, a few days after my birthday, as if she were holding on just long enough to avoid it. I think of her often and I miss her dearly.

Grandma Rae was Jewish, and whether we visited during Easter or Christmas, she would always make us feel at home. I remember that one Easter Sunday she cooked picadillo-stuffed peppers for us because, she assessed, the dish showcased a bit of Latin American flair. She also had a Christmas tree if we were around during the Christmas holidays, despite the fact that this triggered a few neighbors in her all-Jewish building to knock on her door to make sure she had taken her pills.

It is not until now, that I am much older, that I realize how lucky I am to have such a diverse family; and I am incredibly grateful that grandma Rae was so embracing and open-minded. She did not speak Spanish, and I did not speak much English at the time, but we managed, and we definitely bonded over food. She loved to take us to her favorite place, “La Paloma”.

Grandma Rae in her home in Miami in 1996

The more I talk about food, the more I find it a particularly powerful element of national and religious identity. During the holidays, among many cultures, dishes often have ritualistic qualities and are charged with plenty of symbolisms. At the same time, dishes provide us with a common ground: we eat, therefore we exist.

This season, I wanted to remember one of my favorite family matriarchs with a dish from her table. But, where to start? I do not have any of my grandma’s recipes. Luckily for me, Celia, mom of one of my closest friends, makes a delicious Veracruzan gefiltefish. Thank you, Celia for generously sharing it with us!

The concept “Veracruzan style” when referring to food, evokes images of a fusion cuisine that blends tropical and Mediterranean flavors and ingredients. Usually, tomatoes, olives and chili peppers are part of the meal.

This dish never looked sexier!

The recipe called for carp, and I had no idea that getting it in a Chicago suburb would be so difficult, which explains the accidental part of timing of this recipe, as I was hoping to post before Passover. We also took a few creative liberties. Enjoy!

Note: If you don’t find the three types of fish, use two, but make sure the carp is part of it.

Sauce:

1/4 onion

28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp of capers

1/4 cup of olives

1 dried chile güero pod (available in your ethnic food aisle)

Directions:

Broth:

Put the fish bones, carrot, onion and chicken stock in a pot. Bring to boil and simmer.

Patties:

Cut the fish into cubes. Put in the food processor until finely ground. Put in a bowl and set aside.

Grind the onion and the carrot in the food processor. Fold into the fish along with the matzo meal, salt, sugar, pepper, bread and eggs until you achieve a pasty consistency that will allow you to make patties.

Drop the patties delicately into the boiling broth, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook in boiling water alone.

Sauce:

Sautée the onion, add the tomatoes and spice to taste. Incorporate the olives, the capers and the chile.

Once the patties are cooked, transfer them into the sauce along with some broth. Simmer. Let cool and served chilled. I did not wait to eat it cold, I hope my grandma forgives me!

*We did not use ingredients considered kosher for Passover to make this recipe.

LA VITAMINA T IS ON NBCLATINO!

In Mexico, La Vitamina T (Vitamin T) is a tongue-in-cheek term we use to refer to carb-loaded delicacies that usually begin with a “t”: tacos, tortas, tamales, tostadas, etc. Here, for centuries, food has been a lifestyle: beyond eating it, we create it, we live it, we speak it, we adore it.

The more I talk about food, the more I find it a particularly powerful element of national and religious identity. During the holidays, among many cultures, dishes often have ritualistic qualities and are charged with plenty of symbolisms. At the same time, dishes provide us with a common ground: we eat, therefore we exist. In sum, I am fascinated by the fact that food makes us different and, at the same time, food makes us the same.

La Vitamina T is dedicated to food: to the people who craft it and the people who enjoy it; to the memories it brings, and the memories it creates.
¡Buen provecho!

Proudly Representing Chef José Bossuet

Available for interviews, special events, classes and brand endorsements

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